An intense low pressure system moved slowly across the Central High Plains which resulted in several high wind and blowing dust events over a 2-3 day period. Wind gusts reached over 60 mph which resulted in minor damage and significantly reduced visibility in blowing dirt.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS GLD wrote it up.
An intense low pressure system moved slowly across the Central High Plains which resulted in several high wind and blowing dust events over a 2-3 day period. Wind gusts reached over 60 mph which resulted in minor damage and significantly reduced visibility in blowing dirt.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 20, 4:43 AM MST, 5 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 543 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 405 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 FORECAST PROBLEMS WILL BE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH TONIGHT... CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION OF TUESDAY AND STRONG WINDS/FIRE WEATHER ON TUESDAY. SATELLITE SHOWING AN ACTIVE AND PROGRESSIVE/A LITTLE MORE AMPLIFIED FLOW OVER THE PACIFIC. THIS TRANSLATES TO A SPLIT FLOW OVER THE COUNTRY WITH A FASTER NORTHERN STREAM AND A SLOWER/MORE CUTOFF SOUTHERN STREAM. NEXT IN A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES IS MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST CANADA. SLOW MOVING AND COMPLICATED UPPER SYSTEM IS NOW OVER NEW MEXICO. AT JET LEVEL...GFS WAS DOING A LITTLE BETTER WITH THE JET. AT MID LEVELS...COMPLICATED UPPER TROUGH TO OUR WEST AND SOUTHWEST WITH A NUMBER OF CIRCULATIONS WITHIN THE BROAD TROUGH. MODELS NOT DOING TOO BAD WITH THE GFS/ECMWF DOING A LITTLE BETTER THAN THE CANADIAN. RAP AND SREF WERE DOING THE BEST WITH THE SURFACE WIND AND PRESSURE FIELD...ESPECIALLY THE FRONT DRAPED TO OUR SOUTH. THE GFS AND SREF WERE DOING A LITTLE BETTER THAN THE ECMWF WITH THE LOW LEVEL THERMAL FIELD. AT THE PRESENT TIME THE RAP WAS CATCHING THE PRECIPITATION FIELD THE BEST. TODAY/TONIGHT...IT LOOKS LIKE A WEAK RIGHT REAR QUADRANT IS NEAR THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN AREAS OF THE AREA THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. MODELS AS HAS BEEN THE CASE THE LAST TWO DAYS ARE SLOWER...A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH AND MORE CLOSED OFF...ESPECIALLY AT 700 MB. FRONT THAT EARLIER WAS DRAPED ALONG OUR SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST EDGE HAS PULLED BACK TO THE NORTH AND EAST DUE TO SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO NOT BUDGING AND PRESSURE FALLS INDUCED BY INCOMING SYSTEM. NO PRECIPITATION NOW BUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS FOG HAS DEVELOPED ALONG THIS AREA OF CONVERGENCE. WHAT HAS CHANGED SOME FROM YESTERDAY THE MODELS ARE PUTTING THE 700 MB CIRCULATION IN A POSITION THAT WILL BE FAVORABLE TO WRAP AROUND DEVELOPING PRECIPITATION MORE INTO WESTERN AND NORTHERN SECTIONS THAN PREVIOUS EXPECTED. DEFORMATION AND EVEN A TROWAL IS SHOWING UP OVER THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE AREA. CONVERGENCE FROM RETREATING FRONT WILL ALSO HELP PRECIPITATION IN THIS SAME AREA. RECENT RUNS OF THE RAP...00Z GFS AND THE 06Z NAM ARE SHOWING THIS NICELY. IN ADDITION TO THIS OTHER PRECIPITATION SHOULD DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THE INCOMING SYSTEM DUE TO RATHER DEEP AND BROAD LIFT. RESPONSE TO THE LIFT SHOULD BE VERY GOOD DUE TO NEGATIVE THETA-E LAPSE RATES. ALL THIS WILL CAUSE PRECIPITATION INCREASE IN COVERAGE INTO THE AFTERNOON WITH THE GREATEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IN THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA. AS A RESULT...RAISED POPS AND EXPANDED THEM FURTHER WEST. DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION...COOLED OFF MAXES A LITTLE FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY END FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE NIGHT DUE TO THE SLOWER DEPARTURE OF THE SYSTEM. AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT LATER ON THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT...THE OLD COLD FRONT AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL CAUSE NORTHERLY WINDS TO INCREASE AND MAYBE EVEN BREEZY FOR A SHORT PERIOD TIME AFTER MIDNIGHT. MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT...WINDS LOOK TO BE BREEZY IN THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY AND THEN SHOULD DECREASE AND SHIFT TO A MORE EASTERLY DIRECTION AS THE SURFACE RIDGE PUSHES IN. THERE DOES LOOK TO BE A LOT OF SUNSHINE. ENOUGH COLD AIR ADVECTION WITH THE UNFAVORABLE WIND FIELD TO NOT ALLOW MUCH OF A WARMUP OVER THE PREVIOUS DAY. SURFACE RIDGE MOVES IN DURING THE NIGHT BEHIND THE FRONT THAT WENT THROUGH EARLIER IN THE DAY. WIND FIELD BECOMES LIGHT FOR A WHILE ESPECIALLY IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA. LOWERED MINS PER THIS AND COOLER GUIDANCE WHICH IS VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT...PRESSURE GRADIENT AND 3 HOUR PRESSURE FALLS SUPPORT HAVING WINDY MAYBE EVEN VERY WINDY CONDITIONS. AT THIS TIME AM RAISING WIND SPEEDS TO NEAR WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA. AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE MAY BE NEEDED. REFER TO THE FIRE WEATHER SECTION BELOW FOR THAT DISCUSSION. A MOISTURE GRADIENT/LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE SETS UP NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER DURING THE AFTERNOON. INSTABILITY AXIS AND VERY GOOD LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES LINE UP IN THIS AREA AS WELL. ALL THIS COMBINED WITH WHAT LOOKS LIKE LOOKS TO BE A RATHER STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH COMING IN DURING PEAK HEATING TIME SHOULD CAUSE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE NIGHT. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COULD BE A PROBLEM BUT CONSIDERING ALL THAT IS IN PLACE...THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEVELOP. AT THIS TIME LEFT THE AFTERNOON ALONE AND INCREASED THE AREA AFFECTED DURING THE NIGHT. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 300 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 WEDNESDAY...COULD BE AN ACTIVE DAY WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF WIND HIGHLITES...FIRE WEATHER HIGHLITES...AND SEVERE WEATHER. CENTER OF UPPER 500MB TROUGH EXPECTED TO CROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY THE END OF THE DAY CONTINUING EAST TOWARD THE NORTHERN PLAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. FORECAST FOCUS FOR THIS TIME PERIOD WILL BE WINDS/LOW RH AND POSSIBILITY OF WIND/FIRE WEATHER (SEE BELOW) HIGHLITES. FROM THE GFS MODEL SYNOPTIC ENVIRONMENT FROM NEAR SFC TO 500MB SHOWING SIMILARITIES TO APRIL 13 2010 WHEN THE FORECAST AREA EXPERIENCED SOUTHERLY WINDS GUSTING OVER 50KTS. IN THIS CASE SFC WINDS WOULD BE SOUTHWESTERLY VS SOUTHERLY IN THE 2010 EVENT. PER GFS STRONGEST WINDS LOOK TO BE IN THE LATE MORNING WHERE GUSTS APPROACHING 45 KTS EXPECTED BASED ON LOCAL WIND GUST PROGRAM AND USING DATA FROM THE 2010 EVENT. PLUGGING IN SOME VALUES FROM THE 2010 EVENT TO THE GFS FORECAST WINDS SHOWS GUSTS INCHING A BIT CLOSER TO HIGH WIND WARNING THRESHOLDS. PREVIOUS FORECAST HAS BOTH SUSTAINED AND GUSTS RIGHT AT ADVISORY CRITERIA. WOULD HAVE NUDGED THEM UP FURTHER BUT ECMWF SHOWING A SLIGHTLY EARLIER FRONTAL ARRIVAL COMPARED TO GFS SO FOR NOW WILL STAY CLOSE TO PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR CONSISTENCY. REGARDLESS OF GFS/ECMWF SOLUTION FRONT IS THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE NIGHT. IF GFS VERIFIES PRETTY HEALTHY 6 HOUR PRESSURE RISE COUPLET OF UP TO 11MB MOVES IN EARLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUGGESTING A POTENTIAL PERIOD OF GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS...HIGHER THEN CURRENTLY ADVERTISED. INSTABILITY AXIS SETS UP ACROSS THE EASTERN 1/2 OF THE AREA WHERE CURRENT FORECAST HAS SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW CHANCE POPS FOR THUNDERSTORMS. SPC CONTINUES TO HIGHLITE THIS AREA FOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. ANOTHER AREA THAT MAY NEED TO BE MONITORED IS IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE COLD FRONT (NORTHERN 1/3 OF THE AREA). INSTABILITY AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY EVENING AS COLD FRONT QUICKLY SURGES THROUGH THE AREA. PRECIPITATION CHANCES SHOULD BE CONFINED TO THE BEFORE MIDNIGHT PERIOD OR PERHAPS A FEW HOURS AFTER. HIGH TEMPERATURES MID 70S TO NEAR 80 IN EASTERN COLORADO WITH LOW 80S EAST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. IF THE WARMER GFS VERIFIES ITS 850 TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH DRY SOUTHWEST WINDS WOULD SUPPORT TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES HIGHER...PERHAPS MID TO UPPER 80S. LOWS WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPPER 30S TO LOW 40S WEST...LOW 40S TO AROUND 50 EAST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. THURSDAY...UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH CONTINUE SLOWLY EAST WHILE SFC FEATURES SHOW GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OVER THE AREA ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. HIGH TEMPERATURES GENERALLY IN THE 60S EXCEPT NEAR 70 BY HILL CITY. LOWS MID TO 40 WEST...LOW 40S EAST. MAY HAVE SOME GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS DURING THE DAY WITH BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE. FRIDAY...WEAK/BROAD UPPER RIDGE MOVES OVER THE AREA AHEAD OF LARGE UPPER TROUGH MOVING ASHORE ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. GFS SUGGESTING THAT INCREASING BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE MOVES INTO THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE AREA ON EAST/SOUTHEAST WINDS. WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR FOG POTENTIAL AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE PERIOD. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER DRY PERIOD WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. HIGH TEMPERATURES GENERALLY AROUND 70 WITH LOWS IN THE LOW TO MID 40S. SATURDAY...UPPER FLOW FORECAST TO BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY AS UPPER RIDGE AXIS SLOWLY MOVES EAST OF THE AREA AND LARGE WEST COAST TROUGH SLOWLY APPROACHES. GFS/ECWMF HAVE POOR AGREEMENT ON SPEED AND STRENGTH OF THIS TROUGH. BOTH MODELS SHOW A NARROW INSTABILITY AXIS ORIENTED NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA BUT THOSE AREAS DIFFER. THERE IS SOME LOW LEVEL WIND CONVERGENCE ALONG THE INSTABILITY AXIS ALONG WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES. CANT ARGUE AGAINST CURRENT FORECAST OF SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THUNDERSTORMS SO WILL KEEP THEM IN. ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP SHOULD MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST WHICH CURRENT AGAIN IS HANDLED SUFFICIENTLY IN PREVIOUS FORECAST. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 60S NORTHEAST TO MID/UPPER 70S ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST. LOWS MID 40S TO AROUND 50. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 540 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 MVFR VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH AROUND 15Z. THEN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE IN THE MORNING AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD IN THE AFTERNOON BEFORE ENDING IN THE EVENING. AT THIS TIME THE MOST INTENSE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE TO THE EAST OF BOTH SITES WITH VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 415 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 FOR TUESDAY...AS STATED ABOVE WINDY TO VERY WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR TUESDAY. AT THIS TIME THE WIND DIRECTION LOOKS TO BE FROM THE SOUTH AND DEWPOINTS LOOK TO BE ON THE RISE OR NOT ALLOWED TO DROP VERY LOW. THE LOWEST DEWPOINTS WILL BE OVER FAR EASTERN COLORADO BEHIND THE DRYLINE. HOWEVER...RELATIVE HUMIDITIES LOOK TO STAY JUST ABOVE 20 PERCENT. SINCE WINDS SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM... THE AMOUNT OF DRYING WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED OVER EASTERN COLORADO FOR POSSIBLE FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS. FOR WEDNESDAY....CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS REMAIN POSSIBLE FROM NOON MDT (1 PM CDT) WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH 7 PM MDT (8 PM CDT) WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. IN THIS AREA RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS FORECAST TO DROP BELOW 20 PERCENT AND PROBABLY BELOW 15 PERCENT. SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH EXPECTED...POSSIBLY HIGHER. THURSDAY...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE AS FORECAST MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY DROPS BELOW 20 PERCENT FOR MOST OF THE AREA. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING 25 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE AREA. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...BULLER LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...BULLER FIRE WEATHER...99/BULLER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 959 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-211215- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 959 AM MDT SUN APR 20 2014 /1059 AM CDT SUN APR 20 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ON TUESDAY...SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE. DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ON TUESDAY...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COLORADO BORDER AND MOVE EAST ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. AT THIS TIME IT WILL BE POSSIBLE THAT A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT. ON WEDNESDAY...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE. THESE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CAUSE NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ALONG AND WEST OF THE COLORADO BORDER. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE. ON THURSDAY...STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CREATE NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gust measured at Kit Carson mesonet station.
Wind gust measured at Seibert mesonet site.
Wind gust measured at Wray AWOS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2014
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 513686, 513688, 513691.